a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to display racks for a retail sales environment, and more particularly to an adjustable modular display for retail sale of sheet paper.
b. Related Art
Effective display racks are an important component of most retail environments, enabling the shopper to conveniently view and select the products that they desire.
Many forms of display racks are consequently known, however, retail sale of specialty sheet paper products presents special challenges. By way of background, sale of specialty papers has enjoyed burgeoning success in recent years, with particular areas being sale of papers in scrapbook and crafts stores, as well as specialty papers in art supply stores. As a result, the variety of available papers has increased dramatically, from a few dozen to now several score or even hundreds in some specialty stores.
In the past, retail sales racks for sheet paper have conventionally taken the form of flat trays in racks or shelves, upon which the paper has been stacked. If a great many varieties are on offer, the spacing between the adjacent shelves or bins becomes very small, so that the paper is both difficult to view and reach. In some instances, retailers have resorted to the expedient of hanging a piece of the paper adjacent the bin for the shopper to view, however, this presents an obvious difficulty for the retailer and moreover valuable wall space is limited in most shops and stores. Similarly, expensive floor is also negatively impacted by the use of traditional flat, horizontal bins and shelves.
Moreover, traditional sheet paper sales racks have offered the retailer little or no flexibility in arranging and displaying the papers therein. For example, the retailer may wish to arrange the rack to display certain products more prominently under some conditions, or to hold more products under others, but this flexibility is simply not afforded by most display racks. Moreover, the varying nature of the products themselves often dictate that they be displayed in different manners, for example, it may be possible to display relatively heavy, stiff papers in angled shelving, while thinner tissues and other relatively “flimsy” papers require more horizontal storage, but again there is no way to adjust most existing display units to accommodate these varying needs.
Because of these factors, many retailers have found it necessary to have custom shelving and storage units constructed in order to properly store and display the various papers that they handle. However, this represents a considerable expense to the retailer, and moreover, it is often difficult or impossible to remove and reinstall the custom units in the event that the store relocates, which is a common occurrence for many retailers.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a retail display rack for sheet paper products that is readily adjustable to hold and display a variety of products in a suitable manner. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a display rack that presents the paper products to the customer in an attractive and easily viewable manner. Still further, there exists a need for such a display rack that makes sufficient utilization of valuable floor space in a retail environment. Still further, there exists a need for such a display rack that has a simplified, modular construction so that it can be made available at a reasonable price. Still further, there exists a need for such a display rack that can be readily removed, transported and installed in the event that the store relocates.